Friday, December 5, 2025

Tbilisi approves two new hydropower projects on the Mtkvari

TBILISI, November 26 – Two new hydropower plants planned along Georgia’s central Mtkvari River have cleared a regulatory hurdle, after the National Environmental Agency issued environmental approvals on Thursday for the construction and operation of the Skra HPP and the Urbnisi HPP. Both facilities will be built by the private company N-C Group 2022, which … Read more

Georgia delays phase-out of household firewood cutting

TBILISI, November 25 – Georgia is preparing to extend its transitional rules on “social logging,” a long-standing system that lets rural households cut firewood for personal use. A bill submitted to parliament proposes keeping the scheme in place for one more year, until January 1, 2027, according to information published Tuesday, November 25. Under the … Read more

Georgia records high air pollution levels in five cities

TBILISI, November 19 – Georgia is seeing unusually high air pollution levels this week, with the government reporting elevated concentrations of fine dust above several cities. The new data was released Wednesday, November 19, by the National Environment Agency and shows solid particle pollution has spiked in Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi and Batumi. The agency’s online … Read more

Georgia’s farmland registration drive stalls amid fraud and legal chaos

TBILISI, November 6 – Georgia’s ambitious state program to register all agricultural land continues to struggle, with legal experts warning that widespread irregularities and fraudulent claims could spark years of property disputes. The nationwide land registration process, launched several years ago to clarify ownership and reduce rural conflict, has repeatedly missed its deadlines. Under the … Read more

Former investment fund chief faces new trial over Mtkvari hydropower project

TBILISI, November 4 – Tbilisi City Court held a preliminary hearing Tuesday in a new criminal case against Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of Georgia’s Co-Investment Fund, over alleged mismanagement connected to the Mtkvari hydropower plant project. At the hearing, the court reviewed the admissibility of evidence and is expected to decide whether the case … Read more

Chemical plant in Georgia’s most polluted city gets green overhaul

TBILISI, October 29 – Georgia’s main chemical producer Rustavi Azot has completed a major modernization drive aimed at cutting emissions and improving energy efficiency. Regulators say the move could mark a turning point for Rustavi, the city often considered the country’s most polluted. The Singapore owned plant has overhauled key production units, installed cleaner technologies, … Read more

Georgia approves scoping for 39 MW Khаishura hydropower cascade

TBILISI, October 27 – A new hydropower cascade is planned in the mountainous Svaneti region of northwest Georgia. The Khаishura Energy company has received initial approval to build two hydroelectric plants on the Khаishura River near the village of Khaishi, according to documents released by the National Environmental Agency. The agency has issued a scoping … Read more

Tbilisi launches tender for ambitious tram project

TBILISI, October 23 – Tbilisi has officially launched a tender for the design and construction of its first modern tram line in decades, a major step toward reintroducing electric streetcars to the Georgian capital. Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced Thursday that the new line will connect the rapidly growing Didi Dighomi residential district with the central … Read more

Tbilisi pulls plug on “paper” energy projects totaling 1.7 GW

TBILISI, October 21 – Georgia has scrapped plans for dozens of hydro, wind, and solar power plants after finding that most existed only on paper and had no realistic chance of being built. The government’s October 13 decree canceled 1,746 megawatts worth of planned capacity from unfinished or unstarted projects that never advanced beyond early-stage … Read more

Georgia aims for energy independence by 2030 with new hydropower push

TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia’s government says it wants to make the country fully energy independent by 2030, a goal that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze describes as achievable if new large-scale hydropower plants are built and renewable energy sources are expanded. In an interview with Gulf News, Kobakhidze said Georgia plans to increase its electricity … Read more